Viaduct petitioners set to turn in signatures on Thursday

HASTINGS, Neb. -- Petition organizers say they have enough signatures to save the 16th Street Viaduct in Hastings.

Organizers of the petition drive said Tuesday that there were more than 3,500 signatures on their petition.

That doesn't mean that the proposal will get instantly put onto the ballot in May. Those signatures still need to be delivered to the city to confirm they are all legitimate.

The group said it was planning to turn those signatures in Thursday afternoon.

The viaduct was closed by the city council last year, with city officials at the time saying that demolishing the bridge would be more cost-effective than fixing it.